Page 89 of His Boys to Protect

Ward inwardly cursed. Sky looked so broken.

“Come on, princess,” the strange man murmured. “Just come inside so you can get some sleep, okay? Nothing else has to happen. We can talk about it tonight.”

Skylar hesitated noticeably before he shook his head.

“Sky?” Ward called.

The boy gasped. He slowly looked up, his eyes wide with surprise, like he hadn't actually expected Ward to come. “W-Ward?”

Ward hurried the last few steps and crouched down in front of Skylar. “I'm here. It's okay.”

“Ward?” the other man asked. “As in your client?”

“Not anymore,” Ward growled through his teeth, then turned to look at the man as they both rose to their feet, instinctively bracing for a standoff. What he saw was not at all what he'd imagined. The man looked so utterlynormal. Not much older than Ward himself. He could have been anything from a blue-collar average Joe to a mid-level businessman or anything in between. Not a sleazy, stereotypical pimp at all.

And, if Ward wasn't completely mistaken, the guy actually looked genuinely concerned.

Still, Ward straightened to his full height, having at least a few inches on him. He'd use whatever advantage he could get.

The man took a step back. “What's going on here, kid?” he asked Skylar.

Before Skylar could answer, Ward said, “He's leaving.”

“Leaving?”

Ward turned away from the man and crouched down in front of Skylar again. “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Come on. Let's get you out of here.”

Skylar choked out a sob. “Y-You came.”

“Of course I did. Come on. Let's go.” Ward took Skylar's hands and helped the boy to his feet. He slipped an arm around Skylar's shoulders and felt something loosen in his chest when Skylar relaxed against him.

They were halfway down the hall when Skylar's boss called out, “You'll be back.”

Ward looked over his shoulder.

The man shrugged. “They always come back eventually.”

Ward scowled at him and turned away.

He guided Skylar to the elevators, then out to his truck. Skylar was unsteady on his feet, so Ward had to help him into the seat and then pull on his belt for him. Once the boy was settled, Ward rushed around to the driver's side and got in, eyeing Skylar as he shoved the key into the ignition and cranked it over.

“Ward–”

“It's gonna be okay, baby. Everything's gonna be okay.”

Skylar shook his head, his chest heaving with desperate breaths. “I have to leave. I have to get out of here.”

“And we'll get you out,” Ward promised. “It's over, Sky. Let's go get some of your things, and then we'll go, okay?”

Skylar winced. “But I have to get my car fixed and I need to pack and–”

“Sky,” Ward interrupted him. He turned in the seat and grabbed Skylar gently by the chin. “Look at me.” He waited until Skylar looked up at him from under his eyelashes while fresh tears ran down his cheeks. “You let me worry about the car. And we're going to go pack your things. Tell me where you live, and we'll get it all taken care of. Okay? And then we'll go.”

Skylar swallowed hard. “Go where?”

Ward opened his mouth to answer, realizing he'd made the decision the moment he'd answered Skylar's call that morning.

“You're coming home with me.”

---